


Mezcal Mule

by nightsvt



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, jeongcheol - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 19:16:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18452921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsvt/pseuds/nightsvt
Summary: they have long stopped since they started "playing around" but one of them still can't get the other out of his goddamn mind(i have already posted this before but it was incomplete (first of two chapters). here it is now, finished and in one chapter)





	Mezcal Mule

**Author's Note:**

> for @sevengasm. i try

"What ya havin?" the bartender rubs the shot glass clean and inspects it for any missed dirt before looking up. "Oh, its you. I shouldn't have asked."

Seungcheol nods knowingly with his brows raised and taps his hand on the counter as he watched Junhui make his drink.

"Don't you get...tired drinking this every time you come here?" he grabbed a glass from under the counter, filled in the lime juice then added the mezcal. Jun has probably perfected this, he had done it a hundred times for this customer. He was pretty sure he can do it with his eyes closed.

"I think the only reason this drink is still on the menu is because of you." he poured in the passion fruit purée, a little bit more than the standard measure for his usual customer, then finally tops it off with the ginger ale and ice.

Seungcheol shrugged. "I guess I'll stop when I don't like it anymore."

Jun slides the glass across the table, his arms extended parallel leaning on the counter and titled his head with a confused look. "When did you start anyway? I barely remember."

Seungcheol didn't answer.

He took the drink and turned his back to Jun, facing the rest of the bar. He was sitting on his usual spot -- what he calls the throne.

You see, the counter is at the farthest north of the room, having full view of the rest of the bar. The second seat is the closest to sitting at the center of the counter having four seats. It was here where he can clearly see everything that's happening and he can easily spot who he wants for the night.

He leans back on the counter and took a sip of his drink. He started on the far left.

A couple was seated on the brown leather chairs. He remembers that it was usually there where he talks up his person of the night because it was comfortable. Almost always, they leave past midnight before heading to a hotel only because he liked sitting on it too much.

He moves on to the next.

There was a blonde sitting alone at the table by the framed band posters. The person was a strong contender to be the person Seungcheol wanted to sleep with. But just the hair color alone reminded him of someone else.

He shakes the thought off and looked around. But once he thought of... _him_ , he couldn't leave him off his mind again. So he slightly got bored and annoyed.

It was stupid.

How easily things reminded him of Jeonghan.

He’d be unbuttoning someone else’s top and he’d remember how Jeonghan used to button his as they dress the morning after. Seungcheol wondered when the younger started doing it to the elder, he can button his own top thank you very much. He was definitely able to. But the way Jeonghan buttons them one by one slowly, counting as he is done with each --- one...two...three… --- he just can’t resist.

So he always wore buttoned tops. Those that went all the way down. So that their little morning ritual becomes longer even just by seconds.

He is unsure how many buttoned tops he owns, his closet was filled with it.

He was even wearing buttoned long sleeves right now.

He sighs. He was thinking of him again. He just can’t fucking avoid thinking of him. Seungcheol wonders why it was so easy he connects everything to him. Why can’t he just forget him? Jeonghan probably has forgotten him already. But he looks at the drink in his hand. And glanced around the place itself that he is in.

How can he forget? When even he himself keeps clinging onto the things that’s connected to him.

Exhaling, he tried to distract his thoughts by moving on to the next person.

Next to the blonde was a group of people. They were four. And one of them looked like they were single. So he mentally ran through his usual process (partly credited to a certain someone)

One, order another glass from Jun.

Two, bring the drink to offer to the person. “ _Have you tried this drink? It’s not well-known and it’s unappreciated but it’s the best one in the menu. You need to taste it. I highly recommend it_.”

With that, it’s either the person will say, “ _I haven’t tried it yet, I’ll give it a taste_.” No one refuses a free drink. Not from Seungcheol, at least.

Or the person will say, “ _Yeah, I already tried that one._ ”

But it’s usually the former. No one orders the mezcal mule.

And three, whichever response he gets, it’s through the drink that he opens a conversation that starts running all night long and finishes at a room somewhere near. Usually it was the cheap hotel three blocks away.

And that usually works. It’s what he had always been doing. Select a target, talk up the person, end up in a room and forget everything the morning after. That has been his routine. He was so used to approaching a stranger that he had gotten so good at it. He was always the first one who approached.

But with Jeonghan, it wasn't Seungcheol who approached first.

In fact, he got shy when he first saw him. And god, when did _the_ Choi Seungcheol get shy?

With the Yoon Jeonghan apparently.

So Jeonghan came up to him first, sitting at the third stool on the counter, right next to Seungcheol’s second stool.

> _“Have you tried Mezcal Mule?” he asked. Seungcheol haven’t. It was the first time he heard of the drink in his lifetime._
> 
> _“No.” he answered. “Why, would you be buying me one?”_
> 
> _It was a lame attempt at flirting from Seungcheol himself, at least that’s what he thinks. But the rest of the night was a blur of more orders of mezcal mule, loose shoes dragged to a place three blocks away, and a mess of sheets, pillows, removed clothing and heavy breathing._

And that was the first night.

The first of many.

They haven’t really talked about it, at least not directly. They would just both come to the bar, some time between ten and eleven in the evening. They’d order drinks and then they’d head to three blocks away. Sometimes somewhere farther. Sometimes twenty steps away. (Jun almost caught them one time when the bartender realized that the bathroom was occupied for too long). And then they’d fall asleep and leave the next morning. It was always like that. And it was never more than that.

No feelings. Of course that was unmentioned but known to both.

But somewhere along the way; along the fourth glass of mezcal mule, along the rough movements on top of the sheets, along the closing of the hotel door without even saying goodbye, somewhere along those was a kindled feeling that eventually sparked and grew to something great.

Only for one of them though.

And the other probably sensed it too.

Because he just stopped coming to the bar altogether. No warnings, no goodbye. He left the hotel room one morning and didn’t return to the bar the evening that week. Seungcheol wasn’t sure when would be the next. They weren’t really talking about that either. It wasn’t like they verbally agreed that they’d be meeting every week. It just happened. And it happened regularly.

But Jeonghan didn’t return that week. Or the next week. Or the week after that. And the rest of the weeks.

He just didn’t come.

But Seungcheol waited. He did.

Every fucking day.

They had no contact. He didn’t know where he worked (if he did work). He didn’t even know where he lived. It was unconnected sparks that tethered only during the night.

But he didn’t look for him. He had no right to.

So he just waited.

Since then, Jun noticed the emptiness in Seungcheol’s eyes. He was weaker, it showed in his movements. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He laughs, but the sound of his voice doesn’t resonate. It was as if Seungcheol was only a casing of what he used to be. An occurrence of who he was with Jeonghan.

Jun never really made friends with any of their customers. He didn’t like small talk. But Seungcheol frequented daily and that’s saying a lot. So they became friends. Kind of.

He didn’t question why the other person Cheol was always with suddenly stopped coming. Didn’t want to pry.

If only Jun knows how much Seungcheol wanted to tell him about Jeonghan.

But what was Seungcheol gonna do with unrequited feelings that he has harboured for so long?

Whatever. It was only ten in the evening. The night is still young.

He scanned the room once more, eyeing more people.

But he suddenly stopped.

'Cause you see, his throne had an overlooking view of the bar. And that includes the entrance and exit.

And Yoon Jeonghan is entering.

He almost dropped the glass that he is holding, suddenly it became slippery. His eyes darted everywhere, up, down, left, right, north east, north west, everywhere---everywhere but him. He tried his best to pretend that he didn't see him but the millisecond of seeing Jeonghan alone has this great impact on him. His breath hitches, his fingers lightly trembles and he hears his heartbeat above the music and the noise of the crowd.

He tries to recall, how long has he last seen him? One? Two? Three months? Maybe four? Seungcheol wasn't sure. He didn't want to keep count. If he did, he'd notice how long Jeonghan can live without him. And he'd notice how short he can't.

He finally decided to turn his back against the crowd and face the counter.

"What, didn't see anyone you like?" Jun questioned. There weren't any customers to serve.

Seungcheol didn't answer.

He quickly looked behind him and tried to look for _him_. But he didn't see.

_Maybe he already left._

"Are you hiding from someone again? What did you do this time? I told you, you're supposed to make it clear when it's a one night stand. You shouldn't--" Seungcheol loudly placed down his glass on the counter after gulping down the rest of his drink. Jun was slightly alarmed but he noticed that his friend was breathing fast, brows furrowed together and his forehead scrunched.

Jun just makes him another drink.

Seungcheol almost can't breathe now, he was sure that Jeonghan is still somewhere inside.

Should he leave instead? But he hasn't seen him in so long.

Should he...talk to him?

But what would he say?

His friend just finished making the second glass. He added a bit more mezcal than usual.

But even before grabbing the ice filled glass, Seungcheol's hands already felt cold and numb. He quickly brought it to his lips and gulped almost half of it, the pang of citrus and ale instantly hitting his throat.

Yoon Jeonghan is here and he wasn't ready.

Is he here for...him? Are they gonna………...?

He glances on his right and he...he sees him. He's right there. Jeonghan is there. He’s right there by the table on the far right.

Seungcheol was barely breathing now but he can't take his eyes off the reason he doesn't have enough air. Jeonghan was talking to someone. Who was he talking to? Does he know him? Is that person the reason why he went to this bar again after so long?

Why didn't he go to this bar for so long?

He suddenly didn’t want the answer. Because he thinks he knows it too.

Jeonghan laughed along with the person he was with and oh god did that laugh affect Seungcheol. He almost clutched his heart because of how fast it was beating, Jeonghan simply laughed and he was pretty sure he could _die_.

Seungcheol’s heartbeat was faster than before, if that was even possible. He quickly averted his gaze a while ago when his and Jeonghan’s eyes met and tried to hide his face from him, even though he was sure that he recognized him within that millisecond.

Seungcheol looked down. But within his peripheral vision, he can see that he was approaching him.

“Hi.” Jeonghan says. He sat at the third stool, right next to the second.

Seungcheol just barely nodded. (Which was magnificent acting considering how close his heart is to bursting).

Jun starts to make Seungcheol another Mezcal Mule. As he does, he silently observes how both guarded and not Seungcheol is. The stranger’s effect was evident on his friend, so he quietly left them alone after serving the drink. (Seungcheol didn’t notice this though, his mind was as messy as the sheets that him and the person beside him makes on their favourite room three blocks away.)

He stole a quick glance at Jeonghan. He just smiled at him. He fished out something from his pocket and laid it on the counter.

Seungcheol just stared at the object. It was his red hotel keyring, with the words ‘overlook hotel’ in capital engraved in the middle.

“Oh. It was with you all these time.”

Overlook hotel was kind of an inside joke. Seungcheol kept misplacing their hotel keys and he was always their designated keeper. So Jeonghan bought him a keychain. (They once watched Stephen King’s The Shining on netflix after “chilling”. Jeonghan really liked the movie.)

Seungcheol just can’t wrap his head around their “relationship” (or what used to be their “relationship”). They would explore each other during the night and act like lovers after doing so. 

 

 

> _“Do you believe that the whole universe is just one tiny cell? And that all of our cells are actually just tiny universes?”_
> 
> _Seungcheol opens his right eye and looks at the person he had his left arm around.  “Are you serious?” his voice was low. He was sleepy but was trying to fight it off so he could listen to Jeonghan talk._
> 
> _“Yeah.” He grabbed Seungcheol’s right hand and rubbed circles on his palm. “There could be worlds right here.” he fumbles on his pinky. “A planet here.” he moves on to the second finger. “Three moons somewhere there. Can you believe it?”_
> 
> _Seungcheol clenched his hands and raised his fourth finger. “We could put a ring on the planet here.”_
> 
> _Jeonghan stayed silent._
> 
> _Seungcheol deeply sighed and just intertwined both of their hands. “Who cares about the other universes? I just care about this world we live in.”_

That was only one of their many conversations that seeps in after tiredness and whistles out as sleep registers. They had countless of exchanged words and thoughts that Seungcheol just can’t forget. Shared moments that is still etched onto his mind.

How could he not fall when it was so easy to?

But right now, here Jeonghan is. Suddenly appearing out of months of absence. An unrequited love that came back once more.

Just as he looked at him, (to confirm that he is indeed there. He still can’t believe it.), Jeonghan was quickly stretching his neck. He stared at his defined jaw that Seungcheol cannot forget leaving trails of marks behind.

_Oh god I want to kiss him so bad._

“You still do that no kissing thing?” Jeonghan suddenly turned to him and asked.

Seungcheol blinked fast. Did he say his thoughts out loud? “Uh...umm...yeah?”

He scoffed. “That’s so dumb. We did it all the time.”

Seungcheol’s ears and cheeks were flaming red. _Jeonghan actually said that?_

If only he could grab him and run to three blocks away. Fuck it, they could do it twenty steps away.

But instead, he tried to reiterate back and let Jeonghan feel what Jeonghan makes him feel. “Well you were the one who kissed me first!”

He just shrugs. “I forgot your stupid rule.” He looks at Seungcheol straight in the eye. “You kissed me back though.”

He just shrugged too. “I also forgot.”

The younger broke the eye contact and looked at the menu on the table. “Then why don’t you just forget. So you can do the kissing thing to others.”

Seungcheol looked at him, he knows he’s still listening even if he wasn’t looking. “I can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that they're you.”

His words had no effect on Jeonghan though. It was as if Seungcheol spilled out all his heart, feelings and soul and Jeonghan just stared at the mess he made on the floor.

Jeonghan couldn’t choose anything to order from the menu so he looked at the drink that Seungcheol was holding.

_Mezcal Mule._

He took the glass and raised it against the light. “The mighty double M. And suddenly, Jeonghan swiftly took the other’s drink and gulped three fourths of it in one go. “I can’t believe you’re still drinking this.”

“What? It tastes good.”

He scoffed. “It totally does not. It’s the worst.” he said this as if he didn’t down one glass just a few seconds ago.

Brows furrowed even more, Seungcheol pauses before speaking. “...Then why did you offer it to me in the first place?”

There he goes again. He shrugs. “Nothing. I offered you the worst drink on the menu just to see how you would react.”

“But…” Seungcheol was sure his voice was almost lost. But he was still able to whisper words. “But we kept drinking it though, everytime we went back here.”

“Well, yeah.” Jeonghan’s words rolled easily off his mouth. “Only because you liked it so much.”

_Seungcheol couldn’t say out loud that he liked the Mezcal Mule only because Jeonghan liked it._

He looked at his glass again. Only a quarter full remains.

Suddenly it doesn’t look the same as it was five minutes ago.

He took a sip. Suddenly it tasted bitter.

He first gathered courage before turning to him to ask why -- why he was doing this to him, why he was playing with his feelings while he was aware --- just why. But within those seconds, the seat beside him was empty. Seungcheol swiftly looked behind him but only saw the door close.

Jeonghan already left.

**Author's Note:**

> aaa....my first ship fic...and an eng narrative at that.......pls be kind..


End file.
